Reported Speech – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You just watched a 30-minute exclusive interview with your favorite pop idol. You are now writing a short blog post to summarize the core information and her future plans for your followers. You use reported speech to condense her long answers into key facts. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “In the interview, she joyfully announced that she ______ on a brand-new album.”
(A) is working
(B) was working
(C) has been working
(D) had working
2 “The host asked her if she ______ on a world tour the following year.”
(A) will go
(B) would go
(C) goes
(D) went
3 “She opened up about her latest hit and explained that she ______ the lyrics during a difficult time last year.”
(A) wrote
(B) has written
(C) had written
(D) was writing
4 “Many fans were curious about her acting career, but she mentioned that she ______ to star in any movies soon.”
(A) didn’t plan
(B) doesn’t plan
(C) hasn’t planned
(D) wasn’t plan
5 “The interviewer asked her where ______ her inspiration for the unique music videos.”
(A) did she get
(B) she gets
(C) she got
(D) does she get
6 “She smiled and added that her loyal fans ______ the main reason for her success.”
(A) are
(B) have been
(C) had been
(D) were
7 “When asked about South America, she admitted that she ______ to Brazil, but she really wanted to go.”
(A) has never been
(B) had never been
(C) never went
(D) was never
8 “The host asked her if she ______ a short break from social media ______.”
(A) was taking / the following month
(B) is taking / next month
(C) was taking / next month
(D) is taking / the following month
9 “She thrilled the audience when she promised that she ______ a behind-the-scenes documentary very soon.”
(A) will release
(B) released
(C) would release
(D) had released
10 “However, she teased us and said she ______ reveal the official title of the documentary yet.”
(A) couldn’t
(B) can’t
(C) shouldn’t
(D) didn’t could
11 “The interviewer asked if she ______ her recent collaboration with the famous rapper.”
(A) enjoys
(B) enjoyed
(C) had enjoyed
(D) has enjoyed
12 “She noted that they had recorded the surprise acoustic track ______ in London.”
(A) here
(B) there
(C) at here
(D) this place
13 “She got serious for a moment and stated that she ______ focus more on her mental health.”
(A) must
(B) had to
(C) must to
(D) has to
14 “At the end of the segment, she urged all her followers ______ her new charity foundation.”
(A) support
(B) supporting
(C) to support
(D) that they support
15 “The host pointed to her new style and asked why she ______ her iconic hair color.”
(A) had changed
(B) did she change
(C) has changed
(D) changed
16 “She revealed that she really ______ to collaborate with Ed Sheeran in the future.”
(A) want
(B) wanted
(C) had wanted
(D) wants
17 “Another big news! She announced she ______ to start her own weekly podcast.”
(A) is going
(B) went
(C) was going
(D) goes
18 “She reminded everyone that her new lead single ______.”
(A) will drop tomorrow
(B) dropped the next day
(C) would drop the next day
(D) drops tomorrow
19 “She also warned her fans ______ the fake rumors spreading on the internet.”
(A) don’t believe
(B) not to believe
(C) to not believing
(D) didn’t believe
20 “Finally, she shared that she ______ poetry lately to relax her mind.”
(A) has been writing
(B) was writing
(C) had been writing
(D) is writing
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
- Correct (B) was working: The direct speech (“I am working“) backshifts from Present Continuous to Past Continuous.
- Incorrect (A) is working: Fails to backshift.
- Incorrect (C) has been working: Present Perfect Continuous is incorrect.
- Incorrect (D) had working: Grammatically invalid.
2 (B)
- Correct (B) would go: The future auxiliary “will” (from “Will you go…?”) backshifts to “would”.
- Incorrect (A) will go: Forgetting to backshift.
- Incorrect (C) goes: Present simple is incorrect.
- Incorrect (D) went: Past simple loses the future intention of the question.
3 (C)
- Correct (C) had written: The Past Simple (“I wrote“) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“she had written“).
- Incorrect (A) wrote: Failing to backshift from Past Simple to Past Perfect.
- Incorrect (B) has written: Present perfect does not follow the standard backshifting rule.
- Incorrect (D) was writing: Changes the meaning to an interrupted continuous action.
4 (A)
- Correct (A) didn’t plan: Present Simple (“I don’t plan“) backshifts to Past Simple (“she didn’t plan“).
- Incorrect (B) doesn’t plan: Failing to apply the backshift rule.
- Incorrect (C) hasn’t planned: Present perfect is incorrect.
- Incorrect (D) wasn’t plan: Grammatically invalid structure.
5 (C)
- Correct (C) she got: When reporting a Wh- question (“Where do you get…?”), use statement word order (Subject + Verb) and backshift the tense (get -> got).
- Incorrect (A) did she get: Keeps the question word order and auxiliary “did”.
- Incorrect (B) she gets: Statement word order is correct, but fails to backshift.
- Incorrect (D) does she get: Question word order and no backshift.
6 (D)
- Correct (D) were: Present Simple (“My fans are“) backshifts to Past Simple (“her fans were“).
- Incorrect (A) are: Forgetting to backshift.
- Incorrect (B) have been: Present perfect is incorrect.
- Incorrect (C) had been: Overshifting to past perfect.
7 (B)
- Correct (B) had never been: The Present Perfect (“I have never been“) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“she had never been“).
- Incorrect (A) has never been: Failing to backshift the auxiliary verb.
- Incorrect (C) never went: Past simple loses the “experience up to now” aspect of the original statement.
- Incorrect (D) was never: Incorrect verb phrase for experiences.
8 (A)
- Correct (A) was taking / the following month: “Are you taking” backshifts to “was taking”, and “next month” shifts to “the following month”.
- Incorrect (B) is taking / next month: Fails to shift both the tense and the time marker.
- Incorrect (C) was taking / next month: Half-shifted; forgot to change the time marker.
- Incorrect (D) is taking / the following month: Half-shifted; forgot to backshift the verb.
9 (C)
- Correct (C) would release: The future promise (“I will release”) backshifts to “would release”.
- Incorrect (A) will release: Failing to backshift.
- Incorrect (B) released: Changes the meaning from a future promise to a completed past action.
- Incorrect (D) had released: Past perfect is incorrect for a future intention.
10 (A)
- Correct (A) couldn’t: The modal verb “can’t” backshifts to “couldn’t”.
- Incorrect (B) can’t: Failing to backshift.
- Incorrect (C) shouldn’t: Changes the meaning from inability to advice.
- Incorrect (D) didn’t could: “Didn’t” cannot be used to negate a modal verb.
11 (C)
- Correct (C) had enjoyed: The direct question (“Did you enjoy…?”) was in Past Simple. It backshifts to Past Perfect (“she had enjoyed”).
- Incorrect (A) enjoys: Present tense is incorrect.
- Incorrect (B) enjoyed: Fails to backshift from past simple to past perfect.
- Incorrect (D) has enjoyed: Present perfect is incorrect.
12 (B)
- Correct (B) there: Place words change in reported speech. “Here” becomes “there”.
- Incorrect (A) here: Forgetting to shift the location word.
- Incorrect (C) at here: The preposition “at” is not used before “here/there”.
- Incorrect (D) this place: Unnatural phrasing in this context.
13 (B)
- Correct (B) had to: The modal verb “must” backshifts to “had to”.
- Incorrect (A) must: Failing to backshift.
- Incorrect (C) must to: “Must” is never followed by “to”.
- Incorrect (D) has to: Present tense fails to backshift.
14 (C)
- Correct (C) to support: To report an urge, command, or strong advice, use the structure: urged + object + to + base verb.
- Incorrect (A) support: Missing the “to” infinitive.
- Incorrect (B) supporting: “Urge” does not take a gerund in this structure.
- Incorrect (D) that they support: Not the standard B1 structure for reporting commands/urges.
15 (A)
- Correct (A) had changed: The Wh- question (“Why did you change…?”) backshifts from Past Simple to Past Perfect. It must use statement word order.
- Incorrect (B) did she change: Keeps the question word order and auxiliary “did”.
- Incorrect (C) has changed: Present perfect is incorrect.
- Incorrect (D) changed: Fails to backshift from past simple to past perfect.
16 (B)
- Correct (B) wanted: Present Simple (“I want“) backshifts to Past Simple (“she wanted“).
- Incorrect (A) want: Fails to backshift and lacks subject-verb agreement.
- Incorrect (C) had wanted: Overshifting to past perfect.
- Incorrect (D) wants: Fails to backshift.
17 (C)
- Correct (C) was going: The “be going to” structure backshifts from “is going to” to “was going to”.
- Incorrect (A) is going: Failing to backshift the auxiliary verb “is”.
- Incorrect (B) went: Changes the meaning entirely.
- Incorrect (D) goes: Incorrect tense.
18 (C)
- Correct (C) would drop the next day: “Will drop” backshifts to “would drop”, and “tomorrow” shifts to “the next day”.
- Incorrect (A) will drop tomorrow: Fails to shift both.
- Incorrect (B) dropped the next day: Missing the modal “would” for a future intention.
- Incorrect (D) drops tomorrow: Fails to shift tense and time.
19 (B)
- Correct (B) not to believe: To report a negative warning (“Don’t believe”), use: warned + object + not to + base verb.
- Incorrect (A) don’t believe: Keeps the direct negative imperative.
- Incorrect (C) to not believing: Wrong word order and wrong verb form.
- Incorrect (D) didn’t believe: Warnings require the infinitive structure, not a clause.
20 (C)
- Correct (C) had been writing: The Present Perfect Continuous (“I have been writing“) backshifts to the Past Perfect Continuous (“she had been writing“).
- Incorrect (A) has been writing: Failing to backshift.
- Incorrect (B) was writing: Past continuous loses the “lately/up to now” aspect.
- Incorrect (D) is writing: Fails to backshift.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you summarize a long video, podcast, or interview, you cannot quote every single word. You must use Reported Speech to condense the celebrity’s answers into readable facts. Because the interview happened in the past, you must apply Backshifting.
1 The “Step Back in Time” Rule (Backshifting Tenses):
- Present Simple → Past Simple: “I love my fans” → She added that she loved her fans.
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “I am working hard” → She mentioned she was working hard.
- Past Simple → Past Perfect: “I wrote this song” → She explained she had written that song.
- Future (Will) → Would: “I will release an album” → She promised she would release an album.
2 Great Reporting Verbs for Summaries:
Don’t just use “said”. To write a good blog post, vary your verbs to match the idol’s tone:
- Mentioned / Added / Shared / Noted (For general facts).
- Announced / Revealed (For big news or secrets).
- Admitted (For confessions).
- Promised (For future commitments).
3 Reporting Questions from the Host:
When summarizing what the interviewer asked, change the question into a statement (Subject + Verb) and backshift the tense.
- Direct: “Are you taking a break?”
- Reported: The host asked if she was taking a break. (Never “was she”).
4 Shifting Time and Place Words:
Because you are writing the blog after the interview, the time references change:
- Tomorrow → The next day
- Here → There
- Last year → The previous year